Series: Reversal||Title: Desired Disobedience
Characters: Ryou, Juudai, Lucifer, Desire, OC (or is it?)
Chapters: 2-3||Words: 5,250||Total: 10,387
Genre: Supernatural, Drama||Rated: PG
Challenges: Diversity Writing: YGO GX: Reversal: I34, supernatural genre; One Character Boot Camp, Marufui Ryou, #46, handle; Word Count Set Boot Camp, GX, #, 15,833; Include The Word Boot Camp, YGO, #1, route; Chapter Set Boot Camp, GX, #41, 3 chapters
Notes: This takes place in my Reversal AU. . If you're new, that means that Juudai is the incarnatnion of the Destructive Darkness, is genuinely evil, and has done horrible things for many years, including brainwashing Johan and having Ryou turned into a vampire. We pick this up three years after that latter event. I wrote this as a birthday gift to myself!
Summary: It's been three years since Haou had Ryou turned as a vampire. There's a celebration to be held, one Ryou has no interest in. His interest is in feeding. But the one he intends to drain has other ideas, one that involve the death of Haou. That's... good, right?

Ryou struggled to find a way out of the sigil binding. He knew there had to be one - nothing was perfect. Nothing was flawless, not even the bonds Camula had put on him three years earlier. He knew there was a way out of those, but it wasn't a way he could exploit. This wasn't like that. Sigils did have a flaw - if they were wiped out, then their power faded. It existed only as long as they were whole. That was why the strongest sigil magic was that forged into metals. Anything else could be easily destroyed, assuming it was a substance that could be destroyed.

Such as the collar around his neck. Silver wasn't fatal to vampires - only wood or sunlight truly could harm him - but it wasn't a good feeling by any means. It didn't help that the collar was just a trifle tight. He didn't need to breathe but comfort remained regardless, and the collar bit into him.

I wonder if Haou would like to keep this on me. His thoughts seared with bitterness. He could honestly believe Haou would like that, though of course one more tailored to his tastes. It was the kind of thing Haou enjoyed, displaying his mastery over a former enemy. Johan's leather armor served the same purpose. So did, in effect, Ryou's vampirism. Haou defeated them and it showed in everything about them.

He hated Haou but thinking about him gave him a different focus instead of the dark sorcerer who lounged so temptingly close and yet so far away. The sigils on the floor binding him and the collar around his neck prevented him from doing anything about this. The longer he knelt here, the closer it came to sunrise, and there didn't exist a sigil that could protect him from the sun. He wondered if Vail knew that, or cared if he did.

He needs to care. I can hardly suck Haou dry if I'm a pile of ashes myself. He'd heard rumors - a vampire always heard rumors, it could hardly be helped, not when he hid in shadows as a matter of course and could hear almost anything others whispered about - that if a vampire were reduced to ashes, they could be restored by someone dropping blood on those ashes. While he knew the truth or lies of most vampire legends, that one he wasn't sure of. He'd never asked Camula, and he suspected if it could be done so easily, she'd not be so eager to avenge the slights against her.

His eyes flicked to the wall where he could see a thin beam of morning sunlight slowly starting to rise. Perhaps something in the movement caught Vail's attention, since the sorcerer turned towards him.

"Oh, yes. You do need to hide away from the sun, don't you?" He smirked, flicking his fingers through Ryou's hair one more time. "And I suppose you're getting hungry." It wasn't a question. Ryou had intended on feeding from him when he'd come here. But he'd not been able to and now he had to fight every urge in his body, along with the binding sigils. One said to strike, to feed, while the other kept him as neatly in check as an order from Haou.

"Yes." That much he could manage to strain out. He could feel the urge to add a 'master' and bit down as hard as he could to keep it inside. Vail cupped his chin and stared down at him, lips curved into a very amused smile.

"Say it," he murmured. "You know that you want to. It's not as if you've never said it before. You were born to serve a master and now I am that one."

Ryou thought that was so much horse droppings but he couldn't say that, no matter how much he wanted to. He couldn't read the sigils but he had a pretty good idea that at least one of them forbade him from insulting Vail. He kept his lips as pressed together as he could.

"Say it." Vail's order came crisp and strong and carried by the power of the sigils. Despite all of Ryou's efforts, his lips parted.

"Master." It tasted like ashes on his tongue, much as addressing Haou respectfully did. Perhaps this was even worse. Haou never claimed to be anything but a monster. Even before he'd known that Ryou came with intent to deceive him, he'd been quite happy to hurt Ryou should the occasion arise. This sorcerer forced people to pretend to like him and sucked their lives from them.

Vail groaned in delight. "Oh, I do like how that sounds. I could get so very used to that." He raised Ryou to his feet with a gesture, the sigils releasing him just enough so Ryou could follow him out of the room. "Perhaps I will, once Haou is disposed of. Such a bratty child he is." Vail's nose wrinkled. "Did you know that I lost a great deal of money because of him once?"

Ryou hadn't known. Nor did Ryou actually care. But Vail seemed the type to rattle on about himself whether or not anyone actually listened, just to hear himself talk.

"This was when he first came to serve Brron as a gladiator. Quite a while ago," Vail mused as they walked through well-lit corridors - thankfully lit by magic instead of sunlight. Ryou listened only because he had no choice. He'd heard that Haou had once been one of Brron's gladiators and had eventually defeated and killed the Mad King. "There was another gladiator in the chief position at the time - one Amon Garam."

That wasn't a name Ryou recalled having heard. He wasn't surprised to find out why.

"I visited Brron in those days and he had his two best gladiators - Garam and Haou, known as Yuuki Juudai in those days, fight one another to the death for our amusement." Vail breathed in a long deep breath. "Oh, such a glorious combat it was. The victor would either become Brron's chief gladiator or continue in the position. I wagered on Garam. He had years of experience and a fine deck. All that brat had was talent - a lot of it, I grant."

Ryou really could have done without this. But Vail seemed to take the long way around to wherever they were going, just so he could keep on talking. At least he wasn't obliged to answer. He appreciated that.

"But he claimed victory. A very stunning upset as well. Garam's scream when he died was impressive." Vail sighed again, perhaps in memory. "And by doing so, he lost me a great deal of money to Brron. Not that I couldn't afford it, but I don't like losing what's mine. I decided then and there that the day would come when I defeated that little brat in some fashion. And thus when I heard of what he did to you - creating such a powerful creature and taming it to his hand - I decided then that I would have you for my own."

I think if I could feel sick, this would do it. There wasn't much that Ryou liked about being undead. This particular lack of sensation counted among those few perks.

Finally Vail stopped in front of a door. "You'll stay here until I come for you at sunset," he ordered. "Now, since it is a while before I'm going to send you to Haou, I might allow you to feed tonight. If I decide that you deserve it." He regarded Ryou thoughtfully before reaching out to trace a finger over the sigil-carved collar. "Do behave yourself. Haou might threaten you with your brother. I have someone else I have my eye on."

There were few people that Ryou wanted to protect to the point he'd obey someone he hated. He didn't want to know who this sorcerer thought he could threaten. He entered the room, not surprised to find that it wasn't much better than a cell. No decorations, not even a window slit for air, no windows. In point of fact, he thought it was a closet that had been emptied out. Or worse; most closets usually had something that involved air flow. Not this one.

"Good day," Vail purred as he closed the door, and Ryou heard it lock as he did. There wasn't anywhere for him to sit down save the floor and he settled down there. With no need to brethe, the lack of air flow didn't bother him, but it did annoy him. He hated being treated like a thing, like a weapon with no voice or will of his own. Bad enough that Haou did it - Haou at least allowed him to talk back and provided a room that while it did feature sunlight at inconvenient times of day, did also have areas where the sun never touched. Haou did that merely to display his superiority over Ryou, not because he considered Ryou a knife that might go bad if left in the sunlight.

The sigils floated around him, as they had since he'd risen up and followed Vail. They weren't as powerful like this as they were when they were etched into something but they were enough to keep him in check. He wanted to be anywhere but here. He had to admit that he didn't mind the idea of draining Haou dry. It was what the monster deserved, if not worse. But he refused to do it because someone else wanted him to do it, especially not Vail.

I need a way out of here. The sigils kept him too tightly hedged, no matter what he tried, though. What he could do was a little movement, nothing more. It wasn't even enough movement for him to reach into the inner pocket of his coat, where his deck resided.

The tiniest flicker of a thought occurred to him. He couldn't be certain if it would work. He hadn't spoken to them in ages. Sometimes he wondered if they were even still there. He pressed his lips together, wondering. How long had it been? Oh. He knew.

Before he'd been captured, before he'd been turned. Haou had removed his deck when he'd been taken, and he had no idea of what had happened to it until after he'd been turned. He'd not tried to speak to the spirits in his deck since then. Since he no longer needed to duel, and he couldn't drag up the enthusiasm he'd once had for it, it didn't seem worth the effort.

Now it seemed like it should be worth it. He closed his eyes and focused. The sigils didn't seem to have been made to stop this, at least.

Ryou? Cyber Dragon's voice echoed faintly in his mind. It's been so long.

"I know," he murmured, keeping his voice as low as possible. "I am sorry. I - have changed a great deal."

We know. We've watched you as much as we could. He could feel something similar to scales touch against the side of his neck. When he opened his eyes he could see the shimmering, transparent form of one of his favored monsters hovering near him. But we are yours and you are ours, no matter what. You need our help.

Ryou didn't like asking for help, but he knew that he needed it right now. "The collar you can't take off."

No. Only someone of the blood of the Light can. Cyber Dragon touched their nose to the collar. It is beyond our power. But these sigils? Cyber Dragon chuffed out a laughed. Not difficult at all. But do you want us to?

Ryou at first didn't understand - of course he did. Then colder sense asserted itself. If Cyber Dragon could dispel the sigils, then Vail would know. He would still be in here, unable to escape. Despite all the tales, turned vampires like him weren't able to turn into mist or bats or whatever else. He thought Camula might be able to do that, but she'd been born what she was. That conferred different abilities.

"Not now," he murmured, thinking over what they could do. "How far away from me can you go?"

Not far enough. But we won't need to. We are with you, always. Cyber Dragon brushed against him one more time. Rest. You need that, at least.

He didn't sleep the same way that humans did. This place wouldn't be as comfortable or as reviving as resting in his own quarters, which contained a significant amount of the native soil that he required. Native soil, in his case, meant a portion of the soil where he'd grown up. He'd not thought of the place in many years, until Haou provided the soil for him and he found himself resting much easier.

But he could rest regardless and now he settled himself as comfortably as his surroundings permitted. Aware of the presence of his spirits, those beings who had fought beside him so many times, he let his mind slip away into that place that was neither awake or asleep, but the infinite resting of those who weren't alive or dead.

As always, he had no idea of how long it had been before he opened his eyes. What he did know was that outside, the sun had set. He always woke up at sunset. He could keep himself awake past sunrise with effort, but it wasn't a good idea. He waited; Vail would be there soon. The sigils hadn't changed at all. He wondered if he really would be allowed to feed.

Without warning the door unlocked and swung open. Vail stood n the other side, now garbed in an entirely different but equally flamboyant style, and gestured.

"Time to get up. I see you didn't make any foolish attempts to escape, so I will allow you to feed. Aren't you glad that you behaved yourself?"

Ryou wanted to smile. But he refused to so much as provide a hint as to what he thought. Instead, he allowed only certain words to fall rom his lips.

"Yes, master." He knew he looked forward - if that was the right way to frame it - to an entire week of this. But he had not survived all of Haou's torture for two years and then the three years of undeath after it to submit to this idiot. He had endured. H would endure.

Vail had him follow, returning to the chamber where Ryou had been captured the night before. Once again he was forced to kneel while Vail savored a late dinner, then gestured a servant over. It wasn't the one that had allowed Ryou in the night before, but someone a bit on the older side, with terrified eyes as she spied Ryou there. She raised no protests, however, as Vail addressed his captive vampire.

"I have no further use for this one," Vail decreed. "But they're still full of blood. Take it. Take every bit of it."

It wasn't the first time Ryou had had his meals chosen for him. He rose to his feet and made it as painless as he could. The servant barely had time to cry out before the life faded from her. Ryou fed, drinking every last drop. When he was done, he lowered the body to the ground and wiped his mouth clean. He hated making a mess when he ate, but he often had no choice.

"Not nearly as elegant as what I can do," Vail decided dismissively. "But I do look forward to seeing you do that to Haou. Won't you?"

Ryou searched for the words he wanted to say and that he could say. He chose them with the greatest of care. "I believe it will be a fascinating sight. Master."

"To say the least, my vampire. To say the least."

Haou played lightly with Johan's hair, thinking. He'd cleared off most of his schedule and had even entertained himself to the point he wanted something else to do. Normally he'd pass extra time by either watching someone else duel or feeding his pet vampire. But the Hell Kaiser wasn't there right now.

That didn't quite disturb him; he knew the vampire wouldn't be able to do anything that he didn't approve of. But he didn't like not having Hell Kaiser around. It was like not having one's favorite toy - well, second favorite toy. Johan remained his favorite, though the Kaiser made such exquisite sounds of pain.

Where did he run off to? Normally Hell Kaiser didn't stray far from the castle. He could travel swiftly as a vampire but he couldn't always be certain of finding a good meal, let alone a proper and safe place to rest. That was just one of the many ties that bound him to Haou.

He considered carefully, then turned slightly to where Fallen Angel Lucifer stood, observing the quiet antics of his court. "Could I borrow one of your servants? I want someone to find Hell Kaiser for me."

Lucifer raised one flawless eyebrow, his wings twitching briefly. "Oh? I thought he had a great deal of time before he needed to be back here."

"He does. That doesn't mean I don't want to know where he is. They don't have to bring him back. Just let me know where he is and what he's doing." Haou shrugged. He could probably have found the vampire on his own if he put in the effort, but it was starting to get late, and he wanted to get to bed soon. Sometimes it was quite annoying to have a vampire servant, regardless of how convenient of a punishment it had been at the time.

Lucifer considered. "I think Desire is available. I'm sure he wouldn't mind looking - for a price, of course." His lips curved into a quick semblance of a smile. "I'm sure you know what he would want."

Haou chuckled. "Bring back interesting information and Desire can have him every night for a month." He knew very well what Fallen Angel Desire could be like when he was in a mood - that was where he'd learned a great deal of what he knew about sex, after all. Hell Kaiser had picked up a few lessons of his own, whether he liked it or not.

Lucifer tilted his head forward. "I shall inform him at once." With a flicker of dark wings he was gone, and Haou returned his full attention to Johan, who stared up at him adoringly. Haou brushed his fingers against Johan's cheek. The mention of Desire stirred up that exactly - not that he ever had a lack of it.

"Time for bed," he murmured. Tonight would be wonderful.

Lucifer flitted through the air in search of his brother. Desire seldom arrived at Haou's court, but he did turn up for certain occasions. Like all of the Fallen Angels, once Haou had established his realm, he'd come to pledge his loyalty. By human standards, he was Haou's uncle, and that required certain actions, just as Haou being the incarnate form of the Destructive Darkness did.

It didn't take long to find Desire. Desire was never truly hard to find, after all. He sat perched on a high tower, regarding everything below him, scarlet wings drenched in moonlight. He had removed his helmet, up here where only someone else who could fly might see him, and Lucifer admired his brother's elegant beauty before he settled down next to him.

"There's a mission for you, if you want it," Lucifer said, getting right to the point. "And I think that you're going to want it. The reward is something I know you're going to enjoy."

Desire raised an eyebrow lightly. "Oh? Do tell."

Lucifer could already tell that he was interested. He knew the light in his brother's eyes so very well. He traced one finger down his own wings carelessly. "I'm certain you recall Hell Kaiser."

Desire licked his lips, smiling. "Quite well. I presume this involves him?"

"It seems he's wandered off a bit. Haou-sama doesn't want him returned, but he does want to know where he is. Find him and bring back any interesting information, and you'll be allowed to have Hell Kaiser in your bed for an entire month."

By the time Lucifer finished, Desire reached for his helmet and slipped it back over his head. Lucifer quite clearly saw the lust and pleasure written all over his face before the helmet settled into place. "I'll be back before morning."

Lucifer chuckled. "Don't be too noisy when you're enjoying yourself," he admonished lightly. "Some of us enjoy sleeping at night."

Desire glanced back at him. "Shouldn't I tell that to you? You make far more noise than I ever could." He spread his wings and leaped up into the air, circling carefully as he did. He was excellent for this task; if once Desire had someone in his bed, then he could locate them again with little effort. The more he bedded someone, the stronger his sense of their location grew.

While he hadn't had Hell Kaiser all that often, clearly the connection was strong enough, and soon he flitted out of sight. Lucifer watched him go, before heading to his own quarters. He wanted to be up early; something had been on his mind lately and he wanted to think it through before he approached Haou-sama with his suspicions.

Desire coasted along through the air, following that inner sense that told him his target lay in this direction. He wondered vaguely why Hell Kaiser had come out here to the realm of Vail. Perhaps feeding? He did come out far from Haou's castle when he hadn't been given anyone else to feed on.

I do wish Haou-sama would allow me to keep him for longer than a month. He would quite enjoy it. But at least he had this month, if he could find something interesting to bring back to Haou. If Hell Kaiser met with rebels or something of the sort here, that might be interesting enough to get the reward.

He darted here and there, covering great swaths of territory with each flap of his wings. He wanted to make certain that he went the right way. Vampires could cover almost as much ground as he did, and the sun had come up in the morning, which should have driven Hell Kaiser into sleeping somewhere. Of course, by now he could be traveling again. Almost anything could happen and Desire found that interesting in and of itself.

It was getting close to midnight before he found any hint of what he was looking for. He spied a human of perhaps middle-age slumped down beside a fountain, sobbing loudly enough to be heard even from as high above as he was. He flitted downward and landed next to them. The human - a female - raised her head to look at him and stared, captivated almost at once as Desire strolled forward.

"What brings you to such tears?" Desire asked, voice pitched low. Humans always seemed to react better to soft voices, he'd noticed. "Has your lord harmed you?" It certainly wouldn't be the first time. Everyone knew about Vail and how he maintained himself over the years.

Slowly the human shook her head, biting her lip. "I - not really. But - sort of?" She wibbled a little. "My mother works - worked for him. She was very loyal, very obedient. She did everything that he wanted for my entire life. But earlier tonight, she told me that he'd not only discharged her, but he decided she was going to feed his new pet."

Desire cared enough about his brothers to know how infuriating it could be to have someone of the blood disposed of in such a callous fashion. That was her lord's right, of course, but that didn't mean it wouldn't hurt. "What sort of pet?" Perhaps he could at least get her distracted. He considered visiting Vail to see if he'd seen Hell Kaiser as well. It was worth a chance.

"A vampire he captured just last night. All of the servants were warned he would be coming and if he spoke to any of us, to allow him in. Master Vail planned this for a long time." She sniffled. "I think he wants to kill Haou with the vampire."

Desire frowned slightly, though the expression wasn't visible behind his helmet. "Have you seen this vampire?"

"No. Master Vail keeps him close. But rumor has it that the creature belonged to Haou. That's why he's going to be used to kill Haou."

Desire wasn't going to believe that right away. But he had his own methods of finding out, some more direct than others. He brushed one armored hand against the side of her face, his voice laced with magic.

"Your mother is at rest. Mourn her and move on. Honor her and her service." His eyes bored into her mind. "And forget you ever saw me."

Human minds were far too easy to manipulate, in his opinion. Not that he would complain about that right now. He took himself back to the air, planning the next step. Too soon to return to Haou and he didn't have nearly enough information. It could be Hell Kaiser. There weren't many other vampires that Haou owned. One might consider Camula, but if the vampire were male, then perhaps it could very well be him.

He leapt back into the air and soared his way towards Vail's capital city, plotting his line of action.

Ryou knew that sunrise was on the way. Vail stayed awake just to have the pleasure of toying with him during his time of awareness. He droned onward about magnificent duels that he'd seen and apparently arranged, and dropped a few hints he wouldn't mind seeing Ryou doing battle. Ryou had to admit that sounded a lot better than he wanted to think about.

"Duels in my realm take place with these," Vail said, tapping a spiked collar with matching armbands. "They inflict damage upon whoever uses them when damage to one's life points occurs. Of course, as you are undead, it won't have the same effect on you, would it? Just imagine how high I can set the damage."

Ryou refused to respond at all. Hearing from Cyber Dragon made him feel a little better. He hadn't seen any of the spirits since being brought out of that closet, but he could feel the awareness of the other spirits, from Cyber End Dragon all the way to the Cyberdarks. The Cyberdarks seemed interested in this damage inflicting system, but not enough to encourage him to take them up.

Vail looked as if he were about to get up and head on to bed, probably tucking Ryou in the closet at the same time. Before he did, a servant entered, bowing low.

"Vail-sama," the servant spoke when the dark sorcerer granted permission. "You have a guest. Fallen Angel Desire has arrived, requiring lodging."

Vail smiled. "Is that so? How fascinating." He turned his attention to Ryou. "You know him, don't you? I have heard rumors. Quite thrilling ones."

He didn't seem to really want an answer this time. Ryou took pleasure in not giving it. Vail gestured for him to stay where he was as he headed out of the room. Ryou did not relax for a moment. He wasn't certain of what to think of Desire being there, if Desire even was. He'd not trust that until he saw the Fallen Angel for himself, and he might even not trust it then. There were shapeshifters and illusionists everywhere.

But why would Desire be here, if it was him? Ryou didn't know the answer to that. Desire normally remained in what had once been Norbu - it had been renamed but Ryou couldn't remember what the new name was. Though given that Haou intended to 'celebrate' having had Ryou turned, perhaps he'd arrived for that. It would be like him.

A handful of minutes later, Vail entered the chamber, with a familiar figure by his side. Ryou sniffed the air and knew at once this was Desire. He would never mistake that scent.

Desire regarded him thoughtfully, then glanced at Vail. "So you do have him. I wouldn't have thought it possible to bind him like this. The bond between a created vampire and their sire is quite strong."

"Oh, I don't doubt that Camula could break the sigils if she were here," Vail said with a wave of one hand, resuming his place on his favorite lounge and gesturing Desire to seat himself elsewhere. "But she's not, and I'm having her distracted elsewhere.

"How fascinating." Desire lounged backwards, all of his attention on Vail. Ryou kept himself as still as he could. He wasn't sure what to make of this new turn of events. He couldn't guess at why Desire was there or why he spoke to Vail so civilly. "I gather you intend to have him feed off Haou? Why else take his pet vampire?"

"Oh, I have more uses for him than that. You, of all beings, can see what other uses he might have." Vail laughed a silken laugh. "He could also be a fine duelist again. Have you ever seen these?" He tapped the shock collars he'd left on the table, explaining what they could do. Desire made sounds of appreciation and enjoyment.

"I've heard that he's a spectacular duelist, or used to be one at least," Desire agreed. He regarded Ryou as one might regarded a pretty hollow trinket. "I quite agree that seeing him defeat an opponent could be fascinating. Especially as he cannot feel the damage in the same way. When did you intend to try him out with these?"

Vail pressed one finger against his lip. "I think I can arrange an opponent for him tomorrow night. Did you intend to watch?"

"Oh, I think I would love that. I must inform my brother, of course, that I have been unavoidably detained." He waved one hand. "But you don't have to worry about that. We can communicate with one another easily with magic."

Vail nodded, waving one hand. "As you wish." He smirked, regarding Ryou again. "I am aware that you've had him in your bed before. Would you care to renew your acquaintance? He'll be rather quiet unless I wish otherwise. If that matters?"

"I do prefer him making some noise. But I would indeed enjoy his company." He snorted briefly. "I swear to you, my brother Lucifer thinks he can command my loyalty to Haou merely because we share blood. I would watch him drain all the life from that upstart and Lucifer and enjoy the sight."

That made rather more sense to Ryou than he would have especially enjoyed. But his opinion on any of this wasn't asked, as Vail had him get up and follow Desire through the corridors and to the quarters Desire had been assigned. The door closed and locked behind them, and Desire settled down on the bed, pulling out a silver crystal from nowhere. He regarded it for a few moments before he breathed on it, then whispered, "Lucifer, dear brother. Answer me."

To Be Continued

Notes: And next week I finish this up!